The World and Japan in the eyes of Étranger (myself) since 13 April 2010

photo by kind courtesy of @atuktekt (*click the photo for details)

2013/10/26

Kyoto U. students protest against the lecture by the NIRS Dr. Yoshiya Shimada who said "100mSv is safe" (OBN)

Video 1/5: Deputy Director vs. leader of the protesters group

"Stop calling something that kills people 'science'!"

(Tokyo, October 26) On 1 October 2013, several Kyoto University students as part of Kansai Chapter of National Federation of Students ("Kansai Zengauren") rallied in front of the lecture hall to protest against the University's hosting of a public lecture by so-called 'self-serving academic' Dr. Yoshiya Shimada of NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences), who said "100mSv is safe" affecting the decision of the municipalities of the affected areas, Fukushima in particular, to not allow the residents (including children) to evacuate.The lecture, which has held as part of the annual Atom Science Fair, was hosted by Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute (the man responding to the students is Deputy Director Sentaro Takahashi and co-lecturer of the event). Somehow, the October 1 lecture is not scheduled on their Website. In this video (No. 4 of 5) one of the main speakers explodes saying this:

"Do you know how many children are unable to get out of Fukushima because Shimada said 100mSv is safe!? Why are 'scientists' killing people!? Stop the nonsense once and for all!!"

The main speaker explains that the intent of the protest was not to protest against the lecture itself but its contents:

"Why are you doing this in the University's name? Why not make it a private lecture when we (students) protested again and again against the hosting of it because of the very nature of the lecture?"*

*According to the Deputy Director in the video, the lecture was intended to "explain the effects of low-level radiation dose to human body".

Organizers call the police to block protesters entrance

In the end, the lecture was not only hosted but the authorities called the police to guard the premises to block the protesters from entering the lecture site. In the next video (No. 5 of 5), the students are protesting against the Deputy Director's decision to allow intervention of police forces to a public lecture, and also his decision to block any people opposing the lecture to enter the site at all.

Video 5/5: Explanation for mobilizing of the police force by Deputy DirectorIn this next video (No. 3/5) the Deputy Director for the first time explains to the protesters why they are not allowed to enter the site: "because they may cause trouble by putting up banners, raising voices, or keep standing during the lecture". In the beginning of the video. Dep. Director Takahashi describes the intent of the organizer that they will not accept entrance of anyone "who have participated in the protest rally or who are against the hosting of the lecture (of Dr. Shimada) as a whole". So the leader of the protesters agrees not to engage in such behavior. But the Deputy Director maintains that they will not be allowed in anyway.The protesters struggle till the end, negotiating with the organizers staff but to no avail. They end up not entering the site at all.

Video 3/5: Registration and struggle with the organizer's staff (part 2)Details of the students' protest activity can be found here. (Japanese)